Oh, Canada

By the St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Jun 10, 2008 at 14:35:9

In the 21st century, freedom of speech, long revered as the cornerstone of democratic thought, slowly but consistently is being eroded worldwide. This troubling pattern is not confined to illiberal places such as China, Russia or the Middle East, but increasingly is showing up in nations once thought to be paragons of liberal democracy - even Canada.

Obama Will Join McCain at La Raza Convention

By Leslie Berestein | Jun 10, 2008 at 9:43:17

SAN DIEGO - Presidential candidate Barack Obama will travel to San Diego next month to join opponent John McCain in speaking at the annual convention of the National Council of La Raza, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization.

Friendly Skies Require a Spirit of Cooperation

By Sandi Dolbee | Jun 9, 2008 at 20:41:6

Long lines, crowded planes. Fasten your seat belts, the summer travel season has begun. To help keep the skies as friendly as possible, we asked travel writers Sandra Gustafson and Pat O’Connor to offer some ethics advice for would-be passengers. We provided the scenarios; they offered the tips on proper conduct.

Betting on the Bubble

By the St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Jun 9, 2008 at 18:53:45

Here’s a way to get oil prices down, at least by a little: Take a regulatory whip to the speculators who’ve been bidding prices up.

Change is Afoot to Enhance Cell Phones

By Jonathan Sidener | Jun 9, 2008 at 18:45:50

For years, Flash software has added pop and sizzle to Web pages, making possible animations, slide shows and interactive games. Now the graphic interface technology is coming to the mobile phone screen. Qualcomm and Adobe recently said they will create a version of Qualcomm’s BREW - a system for bringing games, news and other data to the mobile screen - that works with Flash.

On “Winning” in Iraq

By The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Jun 9, 2008 at 18:38:44

CNS — Any reasonable analysis of recent events in Iraq would have to acknowledge progress. Consider that the Iraqi Army, after a botched offensive, has gained control of the formerly uncontrollable city of Basra, is patrolling in relative peace the long troublesome Sadr City and has launched an offensive in Mosul. May recorded the lowest number of U.S. deaths in Iraq since the war’s start - 19. Iraqi oil production and exports have risen to their highest levels since the U.S. invasion in 2003.

Got Vision?

By Timothy R. Butler | May 30, 2008 at 13:12:50

Seven years ago this week I published my first online commentary piece. The topic was the predicted death of the Linux desktop brought on by the demise of Eazel, the original developer of GNOME’s Nautilus file manager. A lot has happened since that time, but not precisely how I would have predicted it would. Let’s review.

Far as the Curse is Found: Viewing the Bible Covenantly

By Timothy R. Butler | Apr 16, 2008 at 10:22:30

The problem that has faced the Evangelical world as it looks towards the Bible is that while we have a very high view of Scripture, by and large, we do not seem to have a very high view of the story it tells. When we look at common ways of reading everything from the beginning text of Genesis to the crucifixion of Christ, from the establishment of the Israelites in Canaan to the final chapters of Revelation, they are often pulled out of context as propositional statements or, worse yet, separate or overriding stories. In his book Far as the Curse is Found, Michael D. Williams lays out a more constructive, Biblically consistent interpretative method that avoids the follies that cause pop-Evangelical interpretative methods to fundamentally miss the wonderful story of the Bible.

Pilate’s Truth

By Timothy R. Butler | Mar 21, 2008 at 10:55:25

What is truth?

In three words Pilate asked the question of questions. What is truth? For a moment, the worldly Roman had moved off into something beyond this world. Truth.

Falling Idol

By Timothy R. Butler | Mar 19, 2008 at 23:26:5

The problem with idols has always been that they have an importance assigned to them that simply cannot survive reality. The stone falls from the pedestal, the emperor’s clothing is finally critiqued. As it was, so it is these days as the politician who had built a nearly messianic aura around himself turns out not to be above the fray, contrary to his promises.